Slight thread derail (or maybe re-rail back onto the OT... ) A couple of weeks back, I was cycling up the Newlands Forest climb ("Trev's Bastard" for those of you on Strava) to head over the top Kirstenbosch on a family ride. Riding one handed and pushing a tired 6 year old up the jeep track with the other (try it sometime, it's a good workout!). A black Specialized (Stumpy?) E-bike came flying down the descent (not crazy speed - but anyone coming downhill looks like they're flying when you're grinding up at 5kph...). I moved us across off the smoother part of the track to make way. My 6 year old's 20" wheels hit a bump, he wobbled, I wobbled, we fell off (at about 4kph - no harm done). I resigned myself to having to push the rest of the way up the climb as getting a 6 year old moving and also getting myself moving quickly enough to "catch" him and push before he grinds to a halt and falls off is a tall order up the steep gravelly bit of the jeep track. 15 seconds later, the E-bike rider comes back up the climb, introduces himself as "Toren" and kindly offers to push said 6 year old up to the top of the hill, as he says he "feels guilty for making us fall off". (It really wasn't his fault - I chose to change our line to give him the safer line downhill, and falling off was entirely my own lack of skill/carrying enough speed to push 6 year old over the bumpy rocks). We gratefully accept and my 6 year old gets the fastest ascent of the second half of Trev's Bastard in his life! Anyway, the point of this is to say (1) a belated "thank you" to Toren (if you're reading this) - you didn't have to turn round, but it was really kind that you did. (2) I don't much care if you're motor assisted - I'd rather have the mountain filled with people like Toren than people too busy chasing the next Strava segment to nod hello. (To be fair, very few people on the Newlands-Kirstenbosch track fall into that category). Regarding events, I don't think someone riding the Cycle Tour on an e-bike diminishes the achievement of someone who rides unassisted. It's obviously not fair to have e-bikes *race* against unassisted riders, but that's no reason to prevent them from taking part especially if it makes the sport accessible to more people. As an occasional tandem rider, I think there's a direct parallel with tandems - weaker riders can gain assistance from a much stronger riders. But no-one seems to complain about 12 year old kids doing the Cycle Tour on the back of a tandem with a parent... Should tandems be allowed to ride in $ and compete for the win? No, of course not. Should tandems have a dedicated start group for their own competition if they want? I don't see why not. Should tandems be welcomed as part of the cycling fraternity and allowed to participate in the massed start? Absolutely. Replace tandem with e-bike and I don't have a problem with that. As long as they're not trying to pass themselves off as unassisted riders in races, I don't see why anyone else should either...
